Autographic register



June 18, 1940. M. MACDONALD AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Fi led Sept. 28, 1958 ATTORNEY;

Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES r'relvr FFlCE AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Murdock Macdonald, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application September 28, 1938, Serial No. 232,146

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an autographic register and more particularly to a register used for indicating on an original and one or more duplicates indicia corresponding to the amount paid for the. ticket and/or the destinationof the recipient. I

I am aware that devices of this type in genera] are old and have been in use for many years. They have, however, been generally subject to the disadvantage that the marks on the original ticket strip did not always coincide with the marks on the duplicates beneath because the original and the duplicate were not maintained in proper alignment by the device. The bed or table provided to support the tickets and against which the user could write or imprint various indicia included cooperating ticket holding means, but this means did not include a device by which the original and the duplicate could be automatically aligned without the attention of the user.

The general object of this invention has been to devise a register which overcomes the above disadvantages and which instantly aligns the original and any duplicates of the tickets as soon as they are positioned on the bed. An additional object of the invention has been to provide simple and easily actuated mechanism by which the ticket gripping means is released and the marked or imprinted ticket Withdrawn from the device.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of variousmechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective of my improved register;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal transverse section therethrough as indicated by the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections through Fig. 2, as indicated by the lines 33 and 4-4 thereon, respectively;

Fig. .5 is a section through Fig. 3 as indicated by the lines 5-5 thereon;

Fig. 6 is asection in a. plane parallel to Fig. 5 showing part of the device during withdrawal of a ticket therefrom;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of one end of the device with the cover raised; and

Fig. 8 is a plan of a ticket used with my invention.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 7, I provide a sheet metal case Hi, to which is pivotally secured, at I I, a cover plate I2 provided with an open face M and a flange l5 formed to extend over the adjacent side of the case. A spring button ll normally retains the cover in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The case iii includes a magazine portion l8, in which a series of tickets T may be placed, with the original and duplicate or duplicates interposed to provide a continuous tape of various copies.

A bed is provided on which the ticket, both original and duplicates, may be placed to be marked by the user through the open face M. A tongue 2! pivoted on the pivot ll receives a strip of carbon paper 22 between the original and dupli- I cate of the tickets to insure that both will be marked. If two carbons are to be made a second tongue is provided to support the second carbon.

The tickets T are perforated as at 24 and gripping devices are provided to engage these perforations and retain the tickets in alignment on the bed 20.

A manually releasable gripping device is provided at the end, from which the tickets are withdrawn, as best shown in Fig. 2. This comprises a leaf 25 pivoted to the under side of the bed at 27 and provided with a thumb rest 23. A coil spring 30 encircles the pivot 21 and bears against the leaf and bed to maintain the former in position shown in solid lines. Secured to the leaf are two pins 32. so positioned as to engage perforations 24 of a ticket drawn thereover and of sufficient length to pass through corresponding holes 33 of the cover l2.

Depression of the thumb rest 28 withdraws the leaf and associated pins to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 and frees a ticket on the bed to be detached by the user. To allow free movement of the leaf and thumb portion, the adjacent end of the case It is recessed and headed as at 34.

The ticket on the bed is maintained firmly against one side of the pins 32 by a second gripping device, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. To this end, the adjacent portion of the bed 20 is overturned as at 36 to support a roller mechanism hereafter described. A bushing 38 is pressed in each end of the overturned portion and each r0- tatably carries a roller segment 4!! (Fig. 3). The segments are spaced adjacent their abutting faces and connected by a pair of pins 4| and 42 to rotate as a unit.

A wire spring 45 (Fig. 5) fulcrums over the pin 4i and encircles the pin 42 and at 46 bears against the underside of the bed, with the result that the roller construction normally tends to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction.

A pin 48 is mounted in each segment 49 and is movable with the segments in slots 50 of the bed. The end of the slot adjacent the case end wall limits the movement possible under the influence of the spring 45.

The mechanism just described functions, when a ticket is withdrawn from the device, to assume the position of Fig. 6 and allow a new ticket to be freely drawn over the pins 48. As the new ticket approaches a position where its holes 24 align with the pins 32 of the released leaf 25, the said pins will assume the solid line position of Fig. 2 and prevent further withdrawal of the strip. At the same time the pins 48, seeking to rotate counter-clockwise, will engage adjacent holes of the next succeeding ticket and will draw the ticket toward the left (Fig. 2) until the same is firmly held between the pins 32 and the spring actuated pins 48, at which time the original and duplicates of the strip will be aligned and ready to have indicia marked thereon.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have provided an improved autographic register from which ticket strip may be easily removed and which will align the original and duplicates over a bed for imprinting thereon.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed movable relatively to said magazine and adapted to support successive tickets and means to position a ticket on said bed comprising a ticket gripping device at one end of said bed and a second ticket gripping device at the other end of said bed rotatable on an axis parallel to the adjacent end of the bed, and a spring member engaging said second device and normally tending to rotate said device away from said bed to tension a ticket between said first and second gripping devices, each of said ticket gripping devices being supported by said bed.

2. In a device of the class described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed pivotally carried by said magazine to support successive tickets and means to position a ticket on said bed comprising a ticket gripping device adjacent the pivoted end of said bed and a second ticket gripping device at the other end of said bed rotatable on an axis parallel to the adjacent end of the bed, and a spring member engaging said second gripping device and normally tending to rotate the same away from said bed to tension a ticket between said first and second gripping devices,

- each of said ticket gripping devices being supported by said bed.

3. In a device of the class described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed movable relatively to said magazine and adapted to support successive tickets and means to position a ticket on said bed comprising a ticket gripping device at one end of said bed, manually releasable resilient means to maintain said device in gripping position and a second ticket gripping device at the other end of said bed rotatable on an axis parallel to the adjacent end of the bed, and a spring member engaging said second device and normally tending to rotate the same away from said bed to tension a ticket between said two gripping devices, each of said ticket gripping devices being supported by said bed.

4. In a device of the class described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed to support successive tickets and means to position a ticket on said bed, comprising a ticket gripping device at one end of said bed, a rotatable ticket gripping device at the other end of said bed and lying within an overturned portion thereof, and a spring member engaging said rotatable device and normally tending to rotate said last-named device away from said bed to tension 2. ticket between said two devices.

5. In a device of the class described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed to support successive tickets and means to position a ticket on said bed, comprising a ticket gripping device at one end of said bed, a rotatable ticket gripping device at the other end of said bed and lying within an overturned portion thereof, said device including a two-part roller, a pin connecting said parts, a coil spring engaging said bed and said pin to normally tend to rotate said roller to tension a ticket between said gripping devices.

6. In an autographic register, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed pivotally carried by said magazine to support successive tickets, means to position a ticket on said bed comprising a leaf resiliently mounted adjacent the pivoted end of said bed, a plurality of pins carried by said leaf adapted to normally engage perforations on a ticket on said bed, a rotatable ticket gripping device at the free end of said bed and lying within an overturned portion thereof, said device comprising a roller member, pins in said roller member adapted to engage perforations of a ticket on said bed, and a spring engaging said roller and normally tending to rotate the same away from said bed to tension a ticket between the pins of said first and second gripping devices respectively.

7. In a device of the character described, a magazine for strip ticket material. a bed for supporting successive tickets, said bed having a curved flange at one end constituting a housing. means for tensioning a ticket on said bed, said means comprising a ticket gripping device at one end of said bed, and a second ticket gripping device having a portion disposed within said housing, said housing constituting a guide over which the tickets pass prior to being tensioned on said bed.

8. In a device of the character described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed for supporting successive tickets, said bed having a curved flange at one end constituting a housing, and a ticket gripping device having a portion disposed within said housing.

9. In a device of the character described, a magazine for strip ticket material, a bed for supporting successive tickets, said bed having a curved flange at one end constituting a housing, means for tensioning a ticket on said bed, said means comprising a ticket gripping device at one end of said bed, and a second ticket gripping device having a portion disposed within said housing.

MURDOCK MACDONALD. 

